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Authority control of Arabic personal names from the Classical period at the Bibliotheca Alexandrina A presentation by Iman Khairy Senior Cataloger Bibliotheca Alexandrina Alexandria, Egypt Email: [email protected] to the MELCOM International 27th annual conference in Alexandria May 23-25, 2005 (revised version : January 2006) ABSTRACT This paper is intended to illustrate the Bibliotheca Alexandrina methods of authorizing Arabic old names and creating Bi-Script Arabic Roman authority file using the VTLS/VIRTUA LIS as a first step towards cooperative projects with union catalogues and authority files. The significant need of mutually accepted standards for exchange of Arabic script Name authority records is also examined with proposed models of cooperation. ___________________________________________________________ INTRODUCTION Each online Arabic catalogue consulted uses its own methods of authorizing old Arabic names although they use the same descriptive rules. For example, there are various reference sources and methodologies used for authorizing old Arabic names which lead to various forms used for the same name in each catalogue. Thus, these differences in recording the same old Arabic name in each Arabic online catalogue may stand as a barrier for cooperation in an Arabic script union catalogue and authority file. However, the problem is once a library has defined and used a method for authorizing and entering names in their catalogue it is entirely impractical to abandon this method and turn to another defined method for authorizing and entering names, due to the enormity of the task of reauthorizing and re-entering all the names in its catalogue again. To solve this problem the BA has implemented a methodology of authorizing old Arabic names by recording all the forms used in the four main reference sources most commonly used by Arabic script libraries. This includes the exact replication of references and methodology used by the Library of Congress in LCRI and applied in NACO on OCLC, but in Arabic script. The BA practice is to conform to one main reference source and methodology for entering the established Arabic script name heading, to record the rest of the forms in Arabic script within the other three reference sources as unused forms, and recording the transliterated form into Roman script according to the LC and OCLC in linking fields (Tag 7xx in marc 21). The goal of the BA is to implement an Arabic Script Union Catalogue and Authority File by establishing something similar to NACO in Arabic script, which may be called ANACO, Arabic Name Authority Cooperation. This will allow an option for exchanging Arabic script name authority headings where Arabic script online libraries will have the advantage of keeping their local methodologies and practices, meanwhile conforming to one methodology under cooperation of the ANACO. ii Authorization & Documentation Classical Authors A Classical author is one who was active prior to the 20th century. Any author who died before 1900 or about 1318 Hijri (Islamic Calendar) is treated as a classical author. Authors whose lives have spanned the 19th and 20th centuries may be treated as Modern authors if it is determined that they were primarily active during the 20th century. ELEMENTS OF OLD ARABIC NAMES The authorization process of old Arabic names needs to distinguish between their elements. Elements of old Arabic names are PATRONYMIC, ISM (given name), LAQAB (descriptive epithet), KUNYAH (appellation), KHITAB (honorific name), NISBAH (attribution). For instance, the philosopher and physician Ibn Sina (Avicenna) has a given name of al-Husayn, a patronymic name of Ibn Sīna, a descriptive epithet of al-Shaykh al-Ra‘īs, an appellation of Abu Alī, and an attribution of al-Bukhārī. 1. PATRONYMIC A PATRONYMIC is a compound with Ibn (son) as the first word. For example, Ibn Hazm, an Islamic theologian or Ibn al-Muqaffa‘, an author and writer of miscellaneous works in Arabic literature. 2. ISM - Given Name Some old Arabic names are well known by their ISM (given name) in direct order. For example, Mālik ibn Anas, a theologian and linguist. Note that Mohammed and Ahmed are the most popular ISMs (given names) in the Arabic language. 3. LAQAB - Descriptive Epithet A LAQAB is typically a word or an expression applied to an eminent figure describing an actual or attributed quality, or based on the family name or a certain situation. For example, the famous linguist Quṭrub (a worm that appears only at night) was given this epithet as he constantly visited his professor at night to ask him about matters that occupied his mind and could not leave them until the morning. An epithet may be an honorary title such as al-Shaykh (a sheikh) or al- Ra'¯is, it could be given to someone who is specialized in a certain field of knowledge such as al- Mantiqī (logician), or has a particular profession like al-Zajjāj (glass maker) 1 4. KUNYAH - Appellation It is a distinction imparted on outstanding figures to honor them, and it is usually associated with the name of a person. For example, the Arabs designate one who is called ‘Ali as $EÌO-Hasan, and one who is called Ya‘qūb as $EÌ -Yūsuf. KUNYAH is typically a compound with $EÌ as the first word. 5. KHITAB - Honorific Name It is an honorific compound of which the last part is typically al-Dīn. For example, the two Sufi orders and Islamic mysticism leaders Ibn al-‘Arabī and ‘Abd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī both share the same KHITAB of 0XK\¯DO-Dīn. 6. NISBAH - Attribution It is a proper adjective ending in "ī" indicating origin, birthplace, homeland or residence or other kinds of attributions. For instance, al-Khuwārizmī is an attribution to Khuwarizm, which is a place in central Asia. Nonetheless, a person is not to be attributed to a place unless he was born or has spent a considerable time there. CHOICE OF THE ENTRY ELEMENT Since some of the old Arabic scholars are known by either their names in direct order, their appellations, their epithets, or attributions, the authorization problem lies in the choice of which element of the old Arabic name (Ism-Given Name, Kunyah-Appellation, Laqab-Epithet, Nisbah-Attribution) should be considered the entry element. The entry element is the first part of the name used in the author index, within the catalog, to group all the works of this author under one unique part of his name. The BA catalogers consult reference sources for authorizing the classical Arabic authors as stated in AACR2r (22.22B1). The choice of the entry element should be uniform and based upon the name by which the person is clearly most commonly known. This necessitates using and conforming to an authority list which ensures name uniformity and solidarity to avoid user catalog/shelf failure to find the works of the same old Arabic scholar if his works are not put together under one unique entry. The BA catalogers determine the entry element from a printed authority list that has marc 21 source code “Maaq” REFERENCE SOURCES USED Maaq is the abbreviation for “Madākhil al-asmā' al-'Arabīyah al-qadīmah”, or “Entries of old Arabic names,” by Dr. Sha‘bān Khalīfah. Currently, this is the authority list used by the 2 BA. This authority list specifies which part of the name is to be considered the entry element for most of the old Arabic scholars. Construction of Names in Maaq 1. The Best Known Element In Maaq, the choice of the entry element is uniform and based upon the name by which the person is most commonly known according to the name that appears most frequently in reference sources, giving preference to old biographical references that were done in the same time period. Maaq includes a bibliography of all the reference sources used (vol. 1 p. 25-42). 2. Full Form of a Name The best known element or combination of elements are placed first as the entry element, then a comma is inserted, and other elements of the name are given in the following order : Khitab, Kunyah, Ism, Patronymic, and any other element. Full form of the classical name is used in Maaq, even if the author's name is well-known and short like that of Suyūṭī. This is done since it cannot be predicted what the library users will search with, either Suyūṭī only or Jalāl al-Dīn al-Suyūṭī, or Jalāl al-Suyūṭī. Creating many cross-references for all the forms of an author's name is a very time consuming process. The BA catalog users can search with Suyūṭī alone, or a combination of the classical author name, through the heading (Keyword) search. 3. Dates The +LMU¯ date is used for recording the dates of birth and death for personal Arabic names from the classical period (not the 0¯O—G¯ date). 4. Article Al- The article Al- is not omitted from the name entry element in Maaq as Al- is considered a part of the name. For example, an author may be called Hasan and another author's name may be Al- Hasan. CLASSICAL NAME VERIFICATIONS The BA catalogers may consult other references to solve some authority problems: Case 1 o Author is not found in Maaq; o Entry element seems inappropriate or inaccurate; o Misspelling of authors names; o There are spelling variations for the same person; o The same person appears in different entry elements; 3 o The same person appears with wrong or different dates. References used 1. Mu‘jam al-Mu’alifīn (Index of Authors) by Umar Ridā Kahālah 2. Al-‘Alām (Luminaries) by Khayr al-Dīn al-Ziriklī The "Biographies" above are used in constructing a heading. Both sources are cited in the authority record.

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